PR 101: The Industry Analyst

Did you know there are people who are paid solely for the purpose of giving their opinion on products and services and “predicting” the market? Half of you are going, “why am I in PR? Sign me up for that!” and the other half are going, “are their professional wizards in the communication world?” you’re BOTH wrong: today’s post is about industry analysts.

An industry analyst is a credentialed industry expert who conducts market research independently which are published in a variety of ways. You might be thinking, “why, as a blossoming PR practitioner, should I care about this?” well that’s a tricky question because not ALL types of PR will use industry analysts. Like fashion and beauty, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an industry analyst front row at #NYFW (and yes, I did use a hashtag, this is my blog, I do what I want!), but in tech, health, politics, insurance….those types of fields, you will most likely see analysts.

Analysts are important to PR pros because they provide an “expert voice” and quotes for the media. Sure, you like the latest gadget a client is putting out, it’s the best thing since sliced bread, right? A journalist might take that argument a little more seriously if you have a respected industry analyst backing your claims up. So how do you get one of these industry wizards?

Well, industry analysts are employed in a variety of ways…well, actually 2 ways, really. They work at firms such as Gartner or Forrester (which are both tech research firms). Or they are independent. A PR firm will hire an analyst to look into a new product, give quotes or write reports that can be distributed on behalf of your client and generate coverage. They are invaluable to some PR campaigns and you might just encounter them one day, so I thought I should let you know.

That’s all I’ve got for you today! Hope you learned something. Have you got a #PR101 topic you want me to demystify or explain? Leave a comment or drop me a line & let me know!